American Indonesian Film Short Listed for Academy Award
Told through the eyes of a young boy, a tender, clear-eyed short movie brings the Indonesian diaspora into the heart of America’s cultural conversation and in the runnings for a potential Academy Award. As the Oscar season counts down, a short movie directed by and starring members of the Indonesian diaspora is up for consideration. How do we contain the excitement of watching an Indonesian movie in the United States? For the local diaspora, the enthusiasm is real: Nick Hartanto’s “Daly City” has qualified for the Best Live Action Short Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. Preliminary voting runs from Dec. 8 to 12 for the over 200 short movies in contention for a spot on the 15-title short list, which will be announced on Dec. 16.
In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of Asian American feature films, many centering on Chinese American stories (Crazy Rich Asians, Everything Everywhere All at Once) or Korean American narratives (Joy Ride, Past Lives, Minari). Daly City, which premiered in 2024, opens the door to an authentic Indonesian American experience that is rarely depicted on-screen. (Jakarta Post)